Edmonds Backyard Habitat Tour

This past weekend I attended the Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds, Washington. Part of the schedule was a wildlife habitat demonstration garden as well as a tour of five backyard habitats. The demonstration garden was the first stop and has it’s own story which I will post separately about soon. This post will focus on the five very different backyard habitat gardens I visited.

Edmonds is a small town, just north of Seattle, which sits on the Puget Sound in Snohomish County and is probably the best known as the residence of travel host Rick Steves.

While the yards were all quite dramatically different, they each offered the essential habitat requirements of food, water, shelter and a place to raise young. Among the lessons that can be drawn from these gardens is how to balance an interest with habitat. In two cases the interest was horticultural, a collection of Japanese Maples in one yard while dahlias and cactus were a focus of another and in a third case chickens were integrated with the habitat. It was also fascinating to see how creatively each had solved problems and added their own personal touches.

It was very interesting to see these yards and how the owners had interpreted their landscape and surroundings and created their own habitat using their own design vision. It’s an excellent example of how very diverse habitat design can be when it’s adapted by different people with different needs and wants. This was really a lesson in how to take the textbook directions for creating habitat and make them work for the individual. As a result, each yard has a very definite personality.

The first home is set in a forested landscape on the side of a hill and the yard blends nicely with the surroundings. It’s a very peaceful and tranquil garden and a nice balance of nature and aesthetics. The yard is full of native plantings such as ferns, Salal, Oregon Grape and Huckleberries along with ornamental flowers in various containers. There are several brush piles and bird houses throughout the yard. The backyard has three levels, the first being the patio of the house while up a set of stairs leads to the second level with another patio area and large lawn leading to a second set of stairs up to the highest level. From the top there is a nice viewing area that overlooks the patio and house below while behind, tall Douglas Fir trees tower over the yard.

One of the real gems of the landscape is the pond and waterfall which is situated between the side of a hill and the house where it’s overlooked from the inside through floor to ceiling windows. It’s in an ideal location for wildlife with cover close by, but it’s also an ideal location aesthetically since it can be viewed from inside as well as outside and the reflection on the windows from the outside is very nice. Spotted Towhees bath in the waterfall and other birds have been seen in the yard including Pileated Woodpeckers, Anna’s Hummingbirds, and most recently, a Barred Owl.

One of the details that was particularly nice visual was a recurring placement of large, blue containers set on their side and buried half into the soil. Various plants grew in and around the containers, themsleves which brought a nice, bright color to the landscape where green and brown dominate, particularly during the winter. The containers could also serve a habitat function as a shelter for wildlife, particularly frogs.

The second home couldn’t have been more different, it was like going from the forested mountains to the beach. Although this home was also set on the side of a hill and also had multiple levels in the yard, it was in contrast quite open. From the top level and the deck the Puget Sound could be seen and the owner borrowed from that by pulling in elements and really tying them together. Even while down in the lower part of the garden, where the Sound can’t be seen, it can be felt in the landscape. In the ten years the owner has lived there, tons of concrete have been removed and replaced with a large pond and waterfall and many plantings including a number in containers. The transformation couldn’t be more dramatic.

The owner collects Japanese Maples, which are abundant throughout the garden and in many containers, and must be spectacular in the fall. Bird houses, another collection by the owner, are also abundant although only some for the birds while the rest are for the owner. There is detail everywhere throughout the garden in the form of plants, containers, bird houses, boots filled with plants, bird baths, benches and garden art. No corner has been overlooked. It’s a yard one could spend a day in and still miss something.

The owners of the third residence have an interest in chickens and many can be found here of all different breeds, shapes, sizes and colors. They are beneficial for keeping slugs under control as well as being fun to watch. The backyard is divided into a landscaped area and a chicken run in the back half with a fence that can be opened to let the chickens out to roam the yard and eat slugs. In the yard are large trees, layered plantings, ponds, several fountains and a certain humor as is demonstrated by faces on the trees.

Like the second habitat, this one also has a lot of hidden details in the form of containers, sculptures and yard art, and yet it has a different feel again from either of the first two landscapes. There are a number of native plants, but also a lot of ornamentals mixed in, many of them in containers. The yard manages to balance uses, providing multiple living spaces for the owners and the chickens, who also have their own space, with the wildlife.

The birds certainly appreciate the yard as was apparent from the variety of bird calls that could be heard from the street. The owners have seen a variety of birds including Cedar Waxwings, Bushtits, Varied Thrushes and Townsend Warblers. It would be an interesting study to see what impact the chickens have, if any, on the wild birds such as competing for food or territory, particularly for ground foraging birds such as thrush family.

The fourth garden has been certified for 20 years and has become a reliable home for a variety of birds including Spotted Towhees, Northern Flickers, Bushtits, Downy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinches and Townsend Warblers. This yard is smaller than the first three, but nonetheless productive for the owner as well as wildlife. There are living spaces for the owner as well as fruit trees and blueberry plants, while there are also a variety of native plants and trees for the wildlife including Serviceberry and Snowberry.

This yard is a good example of a more traditional, suburban landscape that also provides wildlife habitat. Some of the highlights are the side yards, both of which are narrow, but provide a walkway surrounded by plants. The narrow path of stepping stones encourages the walker to move slowly and notice the plants. Another small detail are the plants growing between many of the stones in the walkways and patio space which soften the hardscaping and add color. Fall and winter color is added in the form of mosaics set in concrete around the yard to be found upon closer inspection.

The final yard has the impressive feat of being completed in only four, short years. When the owners moved into their house they immediately set about creating a certifiable habitat. This yard pulls more than double duty for the wildlife and owners. Both of the owners have horticulture interests, one in cactus and the other in dahlias. The dahlia garden also hosts a variety of reused items including old garbage cans used for composting, milk jugs as mini greenhouses, and posts for dragonfly perches.

For the wildlife there is a pond, up to 3 1/2 feet deep, with flat stones and large rocks around it for resting. There is a rock hill made from rocks found in the soil and put together in a pile for snake habitat. Shelter includes a bat house and several bird houses as well as a brush pile and plenty of leaf litter. Nesting material is also provided and the owners let plants go to seed to offer food for the birds. In the front yard are hummingbird and butterfly gardens planted with Red Twig Dogwood, Red Flowering Currant, Mock Orange and Twinberry among others.

There are an impressive amount of plants considering there was a lone tree, three shrubs and a lot of grass when they started. They have collected plants from a wide range of places including plant sales, clearance selections, donations, rescues, neighbors and by propagation. Now they have over 500 plants. Like the rest of the gardens, there is a balance of ornamentals and native plantings. There is a very successful native plant garden in one corner including Indian Plum, Nootka Rose, Salmonberry and Mock Orange with plans to introduce more natives throughout the garden.

The enthusiasm of this yard and the owners is simply amazing. I’m inspired by all of these gardens and particularly how each owner achieved habitat in such unique ways.

Kelly Brenner is a naturalist and writer based in Seattle. She founded and writes The Metropolitan Field Guide, a blog for ideas, thoughts and resources for the design of urban wildlife habitat and has contributed articles to a variety of other websites and publications.

Kelly has a certificate from the University of Washington in non-fiction writing. She continually takes classes and attends talks on various natural history topics. In 2009 she earned a bachelors degree in landscape architecture from the University of Oregon.

365 Nature Project

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We got up early and broke down our camp quickly so we could get back up on the mountain before the crowds this morning. Since yesterday we’d climbed the Skyline Trail, we decided to go […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. There is no school this week and since this morning was dry, if cool, we took at walk to the wetlands behind our house. Because we spend so much time in the arboretum, where my […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We are in the midst of a series of big storms here in the Pacific Northwest. We have had torrential rain since yesterday that has barely stopped. Fortunately, here in Seattle the wind has been […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Next to my daughter’s forest classroom this morning we found a slime mold. It was hard to miss, being a bright lemon color and at least a foot or more in diameter. We stopped to […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. A cloudy and cool morning led me to swap my 200mm macro lens for my 35mm lens today. As I walked through the arboretum I looked for more autumn colors, of which there is no […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Yesterday I stopped in at a plant nursery to pick up some more gravel to create our third wetland in a bottle and while I browsed around, I encountered a small selection of carnivorous plants. […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I had so much fun watching damselflies emerging on Day 225 at the arboretum, that I wanted to try my luck again and see if I could repeat the experience. This morning I headed straight […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We have had a lot of rats in our yard this year. In the past, over the four years we’ve lived here, I never once saw them in the front yard. I’m sure they ventured […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The complete opposite of yesterday, this morning was much brighter and the sun even came out. Naturally, I didn’t bring my tripod. I contented myself with a walk through the woodland garden which is ablaze […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Looking out the south facing windows of our second floor rooms is one of my favorite views. We can’t see Lake Washington or the Olympic mountains, nor can we see the city. What I can […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. There were more moths at the porch light in the morning including another Garden Tiger and one that I think may a Scarce Silver Y. We decided on a day trip and headed north to Spey […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning was dark, one of our infamous Seattle dreary days, and it hasn’t improved. Although the radar map showed the rain clouds had passed by this morning, a mist still floated down through the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I set up lights around my wetland in a bottle this morning to get a better look at the inhabitants on this rainy morning. As I looked I found many extremely tiny snails, so young […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today is National Poetry Day which seems appropriate because I’ve been reading my newly received John Clare book from the Faber Nature Poets series. Clare’s poem Insects is one of my favorite poems, but I hadn’t […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. As soon as I stepped out of my car this morning at the arboretum, I knew exactly where I was going. I could hear a chorus of crows and I immediately set off in their […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today I don’t have many words, but a lot of feelings. Anger, shock, depression and helplessness were all rolling through me during my walk in the rain today. Nature is usually my salvation, my consolation, […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Seattle has officially had the wettest October on record and on this last day of the month, the rain is working to make that record secure. This morning started out wet and I dropped my daughter […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. With the possibility of snow coming tonight, Seattle has turned it’s collective eye to the sky. This morning I saw reports of snow to the southeast of us and surveyed the sky. I was surprised […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. One of my favorite places to experience autumn in Seattle is at Washington Park Arboretum. The reason is because there are so many different species of trees there, it’s a continuous cacophony of colors. The […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today I walked through the arboretum and very quickly was stopped by a flock of frantic songbirds. Chickadees, kinglets and wrens were high in the trees bouncing around like ping-pong balls. It was easy to […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I planned properly this morning and remembered to bring my tripod with me to the arboretum. Last time I went with my camera to take photos, it was a very dark day, a common problem […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It may not be official, but autumn is in the air. It was another nice, cool day and we went to Seward Park to walk around the loop trail. The Big Leaf Maple trees are […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This afternoon I attended a talk with Peter Wohlleben, the author of The Hidden Life of Trees at Elliott Bay Book Company. We were extremely lucky to get him here as one of only two stops […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. For the first time this trip, we awoke to a foggy morning. Since our plans today involved a walk around a loch, I was eager to get going to see a highland lake blanketed in […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It was blissfully cool and cloudy this morning, a nice change from the record-breaking 90+ degrees the last few days. Yesterday afternoon after I posted for Day 233, I went back out to watch the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

It was only the second day of my 365 Nature Project when we tracked down the crow roost in Renton, nearly one year ago. For years, since we moved into our house in south Seattle, I had watched the crows fly south in a giant stream every night in the autumn and winter months and […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Another heatwave, another day of drought and sun. I’m proud to have added plants to our yard to provide a continual bloom for our pollinators. As the rudbeckia that attracted so many pollinators fades, the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Tomorrow my daughter’s forest preschool resumes for the year and today is our last day of relative peace. We’re having a calm day at home today and this morning I spent time in the backyard looking […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It’s satisfying to change out the number two for the number three today. That means only 65 days left, or really, 66 because it’s leap year. I’m finally on the home stretch of this 365 […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The sun was shining in the morning and we had our most moths yet. There were about half dozen different moths including two Garden Tigers. The Swallow was still inside the shed flying up against […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re having a bit of a heat wave with temperatures into the 60’s. This is of course, higher than our average November temperatures, and I’ve noticed some things which may […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Despite another day of record heat I ventured out to water this morning and see what I could find. I was pleasantly surprised by a face looking back at me from the top of a […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. On our day off yesterday, we made the trip to Goodwill, one of my favorite places to visit when I get a chance. A big reason for this is their shelves of children’s books, which […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today is wet and earlier we even saw a few snowflakes mixed in with the raindrops. The goldfinches, juncos and chickadees are visiting the feeders and it’s not officially winter. Cold, wet days like this […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today was the first day since Day 237 that I’d spent any time in the arboretum. Aside from a short preschool orientation, we hadn’t been to the arboretum in over two weeks and today I […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. By some strange accident, I had not yet visited the new bookstore in our neighborhood. I can’t explain it, I was excited it was coming and then all of a sudden it was here. Third […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning I found yet another aspect of the changing seasons, the lower sun in the autumn mornings. Although my daughter went to school at the arboretum last autumn, I often drove home and didn’t […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The season for mushrooms has begun. Perhaps is the cooler weather or the shorter days, but today I found a few mushrooms around the arboretum on my walk. Not many, but several areas with either […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. After a surprisingly not terrible night, (in our experience it takes three rough nights for a toddler to adjust) we awoke to wait for our luggage. Without our rain jackets and rain boots we weren’t […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The great irony of having a morning without rain finally today – and a sunny day no less – was that I had an appointment and didn’t get to have my usual walk. During drop-off […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I continue to watch my wetland in a bottle and notice changes constantly. Often times, I collect damselfly larvae, daphnia, scuds and other animals, pour them into the jars and never see them again. Whether […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We have no school this week and since it wasn’t raining this morning I decided we’d take advantage in the break to visit somewhere new. I’ve heard a lot about a particular park on Mercer […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. After a little more than a week away, I was back in the arboretum for my walk. Things have changed little, the trees are a little more bare and the weather is a little cooler. […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It rarely snows in Seattle, although when we first moved here in 2009 we thought perhaps it did. The first few years we had really good snow and I remember many days cars were stuck […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Yesterday afternoon I noticed a damselfly larvae in my wetland in a bottle and watched it for awhile. It was resting on the bottom, walking over the gravel very slowly. I put up my hand […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We had a disappointing start the day when we woke up to no snow at all this morning. It was cold and there was a layer of frost over everything which my four year old […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today I continued my theme from yesterday on Day 347 of looking at trees, but instead of looking down because of the mist, I looked up. Today started dry and cold, but still overcast. As I […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Some may say “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”, but I say, when the wind blows a spider onto your lap, take a photo. What else is a naturalist to do when a pink spider […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I am a wholly devoted pluviophile. That is, I am someone who loves the rain and finds peace in the sound and sight of rain falling. I often sit by the window and watch raindrops hit […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The cool, cloudy weather inspired me to visit Seward Park today, but instead of the paved loop trail around the perimeter of the park we usually go on, we opted for the forested interior. The blissful […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today I visited the recently opened Yesler Swamp in Seattle. The boardwalks were just completed this summer by volunteers, opening the trails to the public. The swamp lies on the north end of Union Bay in […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. In this time of great uncertainty and despair, it’s nice to know that at least the sun will continue to rise regardless of what we do to the planet. This morning was quite the sunrise […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. My daughter is on a break between summer school and the start of the new year of her forest preschool and I’ve been coming up with activities to keep her occupied. Yesterday we made solar […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning we took a walk in the drizzle to the beach and wetlands behind our house. The water of Lake Washington was calm and a liquid blue slowly waved like a lava lamp across […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning was cold, the first really cold day we’ve had this autumn after a record-breaking warm start to the season. The temperature was in the lower 40’s and was unexpected. I had adapted to the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Is this the end of our hot summer? Today is working on breaking another record for hottest day. Yesterday was the hottest August 25th on record today is working on also breaking that record. Our […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today starts a, hopefully brief, heatwave in Seattle and because I’m adamantly opposed to the heat, we retreated inside for the afternoon. Recently I started reading the Moomin books, by Tove Jansson, to my daughter […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. A walk around Seward Park was our destination this morning and my daughter took her balance bike to ride the two and a half mile loop while I walked. She’s gotten very fast on it and […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This afternoon as I drove along Lake Washington to pick my daughter up from preschool, a movement in the water caught my attention. I frequently see things in and above the lake during our commutes […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Finally we have a sunny day. I hoped and suspected it might be sunny today when I could see the stars through the skylight early this morning. Although a few clouds passed overhead on our […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. First thing this morning I checked the porch light for moths and wasn’t disappointed. There was another Garden Tiger moth, but I found three other different species as well. One I believe was a Silver-ground […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. My two wetland in a bottles are doing really well. The original one struggled for awhile with only the plants I added during the workshop when I learned how to make them. But I added more […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning I got to do something very exciting, I designed my own Toikka glass bird. Every year the Museum of Glass in Tacoma has the Bird Lover’s Weekend where they have a focus on glass birds […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. With autumn in the air, although today it seems we’re having a relapse to summer, I wanted to get the bird feeders hung back up. I take them down in the spring because the parks and […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. After the last few days, and indeed, the last three weeks, I’ve felt a nature overload. Between the Scottish Highlands, Mount Rainier and the peak of summer wildlife in the city – namely dragonflies – it’s […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today I got to indulge in a bit of bugdork fandom when we went to the Burke Museum for their Bug Blast day and I got to meet The Bug Chicks. I’ve long been a […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Although the calendar has ticked over to November, the weather continues on like nothing has changed. The wet days and nights continue today and instead of a rainy walk this morning, I had a drizzling […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. With the greatest irony I ended up quite sick on Day 365 and unable to get off the couch let alone get outside. My daughter and I were both up all night sick and the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. A neighbor and friend had a grand opening for her new poetry book shop here in Seattle and I went to see what nature books I could find. I had already inquired about the new […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

With a sunny but cold forecast for this weekend I wanted to get out before we returned to rain next week. I had been exploring quite a bit of the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula near the end of my 365 Nature Project going to Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, Ediz Hook Reserve for the Birds, Fort […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Another dark autumn day, but there are sparks of light all around our yard. We don’t get fireflies here, but we do get something that is just as flashy. Anna’s Hummingbirds have been a regular […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. After two dry days, that I in no way took enough advantage of, the rains returned today. Earlier in the week we raked up the leaves from our maple tree in the font yard and […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Yesterday, on Day 263 I looked at the leaves starting to change colors. Today I noticed more signs of autumn as I walked around the arboretum. The first seems like it should be more a […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It’s frequent, almost always in fact, that I’m behind on the latest books. My to-read stacks usually measure a dozen books high at any given time. But after I made an effort to start reading […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning as we started our Thanksgiving cooking, I took a break to watch the bird in our yard. I’ve recently put the hummingbird feeders back outside after having them down all summer. There is […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Although the forecast called for rain, it’s a bright and sunny day here in Seattle. All morning the wind raged through the trees rattling their bones together but by afternoon it calmed. In the morning […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. My ordeal in Amsterdam wasn’t quite done and after the experience of Day 218 I was ready to get home. We had no problems with security in Seattle or Inverness, but traveling as a naturalist […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. There is one guaranteed place to find Anna’s Hummingbirds in the arboretum during the autumn months: the winter garden. In this garden, designed specifically for the season with winter blooming plants like witch hazel, or […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. As we make the transition to winter, officially December 21st, I’m noticing quite a change. Not only is it much colder with several icy days in recent weeks, the fungi which was so abundant all […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It was very nice to be able to stay in Port Angeles so I had the opportunity to start early in the morning on the second day of my adventure. I did the same thing […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We returned to the Insh Marsh reserve to walk the other half of the trails we didn’t get to on Day 208 this morning, the Tromie Meadow trail. The weather was the same as it’s […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I awoke to a blissfully cloudy sky this morning and was it a relief after the last few days of record-breaking heat. The sun rose and I didn’t have to close all the curtains on […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today is cold, the coldest it’s been in a long time. Shortly before we left for school this morning it started to snow. First, just a few flakes mixed into the rain, then it shifted […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today I watched the birds visiting the feeders that I put up on Day 254 and refilled this morning. The peanuts I put in the feeder were gone within an hour or so and as far […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. In recent weeks I’ve noticed tiny flying blue, fuzzy insects around Seattle. Last year at this same time I noticed them as well in the arboretum where they were flying in dense quantities and stuck […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Over the last month I’ve been very focused on fungi, and at times it seems inevitable. Because I’ve noticed so many mushrooms, my eyes have become fungi radars and I can’t seem to not notice […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This summer I developed a particular fondness for our marine life after visiting extreme low tides at Alki Beach on Day 187 and Scenic Beach on Days 185 and 186. The winter tides have been very […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Ever since I put our feeders up on Day 254 the birds have been returning in greater numbers every day. First it was a few House Finches and Black-capped Chickadees and not much else. But […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. On our last morning in Scotland we woke up early to get ready and I did my recent ritual of checking out all the windows for birds. There were a lot of them out eating the remaining […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. On our last full day in the Highlands we awoke to a dark and cloudy sky, but were spared rain again. We decided to visit the RZSS Highland Wildlife Park because it was our only […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. On our last weekday off of this holiday break we met some friends from my daughter’s preschool to play and go for a walk. We ventured a little ways into Interlaken Park, very near the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Some days things just don’t work out and every direction throws up a dead end. This morning started along that path. The one day we couldn’t park on the south end of the arboretum and […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. There is one thing I really like to do at the arboretum after a rainy night – visit the creeks. There are three, but one is currently under construction being renovated and brought to the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Last night we finally saw some snow falling in Seattle. Over the week we had repeated advisories about snow falling but never saw anything at all. Yesterday it started in the south and slowly moved […]

n 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Although I haven’t written much about my wetland in a bottle recently, I’ve still been watching the life inside regularly. There are two and the larger one has grown a great amount of vegetation and […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It’s been awhile since I did any arts and crafts and today I decided would be a good day to do something. Last autumn I dabbled in making plant imprints in clay. Then I made […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. On my final day of the 365 Nature Project we took our daughter and met some friends at Seattle Children’s Theater for their production of Stellaluna. Based on the book written by Janell Cannon, the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This week is the first time we’ve put our window air conditioner unit up this year. Although we had a warm spring, the nights were cool and we never needed the air conditioner, and the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today we arrived in Scotland, flying into Inverness . Unfortunately our luggage didn’t arrive with us and with only one flight from Amsterdam to Inverness a day, we have to wait until tomorrow and hope […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. About a week after making my first wetland in a bottle, we took some time this morning to take a close look at how they were doing. I made the first at a class, and […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Ever since I discovered the hydra in my wetland in a bottle yesterday, on Day 241, I’ve been sitting in front of the container with my hand loupe, watching the life inside. The diversity in […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Yesterday afternoon I received an email telling me that my glass bird I had designed on Day 296 was ready to be picked up. Very excitedly, I drove to Tacoma this morning to the Museum […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

For awhile I’ve entertained the idea of a 365 project – that is, doing something every day, for a whole year. I was partly encouraged by the 30 Days Wild project we did in June 2015. I’ve also watched many people do various 365 projects and recently a speaker in my writing class did a 365 […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It’s autumn and I’ve given up trying to avoid fungi. They’re simply everywhere, and so interesting that I just can’t walk by without stopping to look and take a photo. Over the last 300 plus days […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Over the last couple of months I’ve developed a night-time ritual of watching the spiders around our back porch light. When we replaced our exterior doors we opted for new doors with small windows at […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Everyone in the Pacific Northwest is sitting and waiting for today’s big windstorm to hit. We’ve recovered from the storm yesterday, leaves are covering our front yard now and the I’ve vacuumed the water leaking […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The only thing better than a cool autumn morning is a cool autumn morning after it’s rained. Our rain has been scarce this autumn so far but this morning we finally got a little bit […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today feels like the last hurrah of summer. And what a glorious sunny day it is. Although I’ve been waiting impatiently for the arrival of autumn, today’s last embrace of warm weather turned into a wonderful […]

The weather forecast promised another dry day, our second in a row, for the first day of spring. With more rain coming until at least Thursday, I decided to make the most of the dry and hopefully sunny morning and spend the first day of spring at Magnuson Park. It was still quite chilly, only […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This summer, it feels as though there has been few birds in our yard, or if they’re there, I just haven’t paid attention. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed a return presence of […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Today I went on an accidental mushroom hunt. I didn’t mean to, I had taken photos of mushrooms for Day 292 just yesterday, but shortly after I set out I came across the most quintessentially autumn […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We had a little bit of a different adventure than we had planned after I looked closely at a spot under my four-year-old’s lower eyelid and discovered a tick stuck tight in the morning. It must […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning I set off on a trail I hadn’t traversed in awhile at the arboretum and very quickly made the discovery of the remains of a rabbit. There wasn’t much left of it, a, […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I was back in the arboretum after a few days away and I was curious to see how the park held up to the windstorm over the weekend. It was easy to see evidence of […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. During our school break I had intended to visit Alki Beach. We had last visited on Day 187 and although the tides aren’t anywhere near as low we wanted to still get out and explore. […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The first time I heard about Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain was when I read Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane. He uses Shepherd’s book as a catalyst for his chapter on mountains and I placed the book in the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning I set out through the arboretum hoping to see the deer which has been seen over the last week or so. Which of course is a guarantee I wouldn’t see it because I […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It seems I can’t go anywhere near a bookstore without stopping in and if it’s a used bookstore, all the better. I love books, I loved new books, but mostly, I really love used books. […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Looking back over the last few days of the 365 Nature project, it seems few days have gone by without mushrooms featured either in photos or the post writing. Indeed, it’s nearly impossible to walk […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. In past years I’ve planted sunflowers and watched Black-capped Chickadees and American Goldfinches feeding on the seeds. This year I had large patches of rudbeckia flowers growing which attracted many pollinators during the summer as […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. With only eight days left of 365 Nature Project I felt like I wanted to make them really count so set out on a spontaneous solo adventure today. Because it’s a holiday I couldn’t do […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I’ve been feeling the pull of an adventure lately and today I finally had a chance to escape and took it. I left behind family, city and people and headed for the Olympic Peninsula alone […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning we met a friend from my daughter’s forest preschool at Carkeek Park in northwest Seattle. This time of year, Pipers Creek, which runs through Carkeek, has salmon running up the short stream. We […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This week is officially Bat Week, “an annual, international celebration of the role of bats in nature. Bat Week is organized by a team of representatives from across the United States and Canada from conservation organizations […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. On our first day back in Seattle, I spent most of the day in front of the computer trying to get my photos copied and get my backed up 365 Nature posts ready. The weather […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. With only a few days left of 365 Nature I decided to make the most of it while I could. I decided to head to the Olympic Peninsula and visit Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, someplace […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The autumnal feeling continued today and the first thing I saw was a dynamic sunrise with dramatic clouds turned orange. Shortly after breakfast it started raining, really raining. This week has been the first real rain […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Yesterday evening I attended a workshop to build a wetlands in a bottle. The idea is simple, to recreate a miniature wetlands in a glass container, and the practice was just as simple. We first […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Mid October, a cool day with clouds and sun changing places every half hour, it feels like the quintessential autumn day. As I walked through the wetland part of the arboretum this morning I spotted […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The weather has gotten progressively warmer and today was the warmest day yet. The morning started warm and by the time we got to the arboretum for summer school, I was already feeling the heat. […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. As I’ve watched nature closer than I ever have before over the last 220 days, I’ve started to notice the seasonal changes a lot more. That doesn’t mean simply noticing the leaves changing colors or […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Yesterday afternoon our Ring doorbell motion detector rang and I assumed it was the mail. The Ring doorbell is a device that senses motion as well as a doorbell and if it detects movement, or […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Although cool today it’s sunny and dry, unlike yesterday. After arriving at the arboretum this morning I headed north, towards Foster and Marsh Islands. Every time I walk there it’s different and recently, even more […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. After my final adventures for the year, today I spent going through photos and finishing my posts from the last two days. I’m exhausted, but fulfilled. It’s now started raining and it feels like a […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I watched the summer solstice sunrise this morning through a clear blue sky. It’s the first official day of winter although here in Seattle it’s felt like winter for a couple of weeks. We’ve had […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Yesterday afternoon, as I looked at my wetland in a bottle, an activity quickly becoming a several-times-a-day-habit, I noticed a dragonfly larva skin floating along the bottom. I grabbed a pipette and sucked it out, put […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Overnight we had a blustery storm that continued blowing into the morning. My initial goal today was to photograph all the different spiders that have taken up residence on and around our front door. But […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We awoke to a peaceful forest on Mount Rainier and got up so we could get to Paradise before the crowds. We arrived at the Paradise parking lot just after 8:30 and while it wasn’t […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I returned to the arboretum hoping for another look at the Great Horned Owl I saw yesterday on Day 273. Although I walked the paths around that area for quite awhile, I failed to find […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Since yesterday afternoon I’ve been watching the weather closely. I was really hoping to get a dry morning so I could bring my tripod to the arboretum and try and get better mushroom photos since […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I only had time for a shorter walk today at the arboretum so I opted to visit Foster Island in hopes of seeing the winter ducks I’d spotted on Day 337. Because it was clear […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The sun was shining through the dining room window this morning and illuminated my wetland in a bottle offering a wonderful look at the life inside. Since I put it together on Day 223 I’ve […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. It was serendipitous that one of the last books I read this year was The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane, one of my favorite authors. Finishing the book last night marked the 39th book I’ve read […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Some days I choose the right path to walk and today was one of those days. I set off through the arboretum and took a left to go through a native plant garden and as […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s record-breaking warm. Today is the sixth consecutive day of 60+ degree days, the first time in over 120 years that’s happened. Today is another record-breaking warm day. The sun […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning started out rather sunny, but the clouds swiftly took over the sky turning Seattle into a stereotypical late autumn day. The weather has been cooling and gray, so overcast it’s hard to tell […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Last night the temperatures dipped into the 20’s, quite cold for Seattle, and I forgot to bring the hummingbird feeders inside. When I know we have freezing weather in the forecast I try and remember […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning we were finally ready for a day of exploring with our rain jackets and boots present and accounted for. I was eager to explore the RSPB reserve closest to us, Insh Marsh. It’s […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. In the morning we had a few moths again, this time a bright yellowish one that I think was a Brimstone Moth. The next time we visit somewhere I’m going to have to figure out […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. After our Christmas morning I wanted to get outside and go for a walk and so my daughter picked Mercer Slough as our destination. I hadn’t been there in almost a year, not since Day […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning I looked outside and if I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was snowing. There were hundreds of teeny, tiny specks floating through the air in our yard and across the […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning I cleaned out the bird feeders from the soggy bird seed which had become drenched from our recent rains. I replaced the seeds and hung them back up before sitting in front of […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. I’ve spent so much time in the arboretum during the autumn finding fungi, I have overlooked my own garden. With the adjustment to preschool every day, it’s left less time for our own yard observations. […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The rain continued. It was a hard rain, a perpetual rain, a sweating and steaming rain; it was a mizzle, a downpour, a fountain, a whipping at the eyes, an undertow at the ankles; it […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. The side garden in our backyard is one of the areas I’ve focused the most attention since we moved in, nearly four years ago now. I’ve planted two Vine Maple trees, one I had to […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Twice during the night I was awoken by pounding rain. The first time it clinked against the glass of the skylight and must have included hail. The second time was a torrential downpour, but by […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Over the duration of this 365 Nature Project I’ve repeatedly written about and taken photos of clouds. I even joined the Cloud Appreciation Society early this year. I’ve long appreciated clouds, particularly from a photography perspective […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. If there was any doubt that my daughter was born in Seattle, all one has to do is observe her when the sun comes through the dining room windows in the morning. She closes her […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. We’re currently experiencing quite a cold spell here in Seattle. Yesterday I felt cold all day because my long underwear was in the laundry and I never warmed up, even after we returned home. The […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Last night it rained. When it rains during the day I rejoice and savor every minute of it. When it rains at night, it’s comforting to listen to while asleep. This morning the ground was […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. This morning started with a definite autumn chill in the air because the skies were clear overnight. With the prospect of a sunny morning, I opted for a visit to Magnuson Park. I didn’t expect […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. There was a mist hanging over Lake Washington this morning as we drove to preschool. As we rounded a corner I caught sight of a large bird, a Bald Eagle, flying low over the lake […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Over the last week we’ve had a yard full of goldfinches and this morning they’re still abundant. I’ve seen them at all the feeders, they seem to like the shelled sunflowers and the patio mix […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. While it hasn’t been sunny and warm in the highlands, at least it’s not rained on us…until today. Our luck finally ran out, but not right away. Our destination was the Linn of Dee on […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts. Over the summer I purchased four carnivorous plants and placed them in a container of water on our back deck steps. My daughter and I enjoyed looking at them regularly to see what insects they […]

In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here […]

Search

Read next article ...

Bat House Project UPDATE: The Bat House Project website has been taken offline There has been a recent surge of sculptural, artistic bat houses redefining our vision of what a bat house looks like. This has to be one of my favorite subjects to write about because it's so exciting. For one, it's an excellent example of how different professions can bring such different things to the table. Architects, landscape architects, engineers, scientists, planners and artists all come from different backgrounds with very different training and as a result, come up with very different solutions and ideas. The second reason I find this subject so exciting is the blend of form and function which creates something completely different and really redefines habitat aesthetics. The first example of a sculptural bat house comes from the Bat House Project, which was a competition based in London in 2007. There was great participation in the competition with entries from 24 countries, including the U.K. Anyone was invited to participate and there were three categories, the first for design professionals, the second for students and general public and the last for school children. The project encouraged

Read previous article ...

A little less than a month ago I noticed something interesting in the clover on my balcony. Along with the problematic aphids, I now saw a few small, black insects. They were clustered together and upon further inspection I found egg casings, which looked like tissue paper. I suspected these little alligator-like insects were lady beetle larvae, but they didn't have any orange markings yet, probably because they had just hatched. Over the next few weeks I watched them eat aphids and was fascinated by their fast growth. Soon they developed orange sides and then I knew they were lady beetle larvae. I soon found many black and clear skins left behind on clover leaves from their various instars as they grew larger. About ten days later they seemed to disperse from the clover and started wandering up the balcony railing and over surrounding plant containers. For hours they would sit before retreating to the clover at night. Eventually they found locations where they would attach their abdomen to the chosen surface and hang until turning into pupae. Only once I happened to see as the larva was in the process of turning into a pupa. It was a bright, almost florescent orange